EU leaders will try to come up with solutions to prevent the migrant tragedy from worsening in the Mediterranean when they meet in Brussels today.

But as they grapple with a 10-point action plan presented by the European Commission, targeting the boats used by people smugglers in Libya could prove to be very tricky, according to a retired army commander.

Former army head Brigadier Maurice Calleja said destroying boats could pose a logistical problem because it would have to be ascertained whether there were people on board.

“I find this a defeatist attitude because it is the criminal networks that should be targeted not just the boats,” he said.

But targeting the networks of people smugglers would require some form of operation in Libya, something that could prove problematic, he added.

EU leaders have ruled out putting soldiers in Libya, which is split between two rival governments, but some have suggested a military operation similar to the anti-piracy mission, known as Operation Atlanta, off the Somali coast.

Operation Atlanta involves sea patrols with military vessels that ward off and attack would-be pirates. The operation got clearance last year to conduct helicopter raids on land, targeting pirate boats.

EU leaders will today have to decide what type of action must be taken to target the people smugglers in Libya but Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela yesterday said Malta was also expecting an agreement on time frames.

“Saving lives will remain a priority but we have to target the criminal networks that are profiting from other people’s misery... what I understand by concrete action is what will be done and when,” Mr Abela said after laying flowers at the hospital morgue where 24 migrants’ bodies have been held since Monday.

The emergency council was called in the wake of the tragedy off the Libyan coast last Sunday, when a fishing boat packed with migrants capsized. It is believed 800 people died in the incident.

Only 28 survivors were picked up from the sea while 24 bodies, all men, were recovered by an Italian coastguard ship and brought to Malta. One of the victims is believed to be a 14-year-old boy, according to forensic sources.

Saving lives will remain a priority

Finding a solution will not be easy since northern EU member states have always adopted a cool approach towards problems in the Mediterranean region.

But there are also practical difficulties. Brigadier Calleja said short of going into Libya to catch smugglers in the act, the best solution was coordinating some form of action with the Libyan authorities.

“This is implausible given the state Libya is in and this is the bigger problem because there are too many ungoverned spaces that allow criminal networks to flourish,” Brig. Calleja said.

Bombing boats from afar would require intelligence gathering and a coordinated military effort. Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti has hinted at the use of drones to strike boats in Libya.

The funeral for the 24 victims will be held in Malta this morning preceded by an interfaith service at Mater Dei Hospital headed by Gozo Bishop Mario Grech and the leader of the Muslim community, Imam Moham-med El Saadi.

The funeral will be the largest mass funeral Malta has ever witnessed, as the 24 bodies will be laid to rest in the common grave at Addolorata Cemetery in a private ceremony.

European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Italian Home Affairs Minister Angelino Alfano are expected to attend the funeral service.

Meanwhile, Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the EU must take a collective stand to tackle migrant trafficking at its source in African countries.

Renzi spoke as Italian navy and coastguard vessels were taking more than 1,200 migrants rescued in other operations since Monday to ports across southern Italy.

He said the EU should have a more visible role, with UN backing, in sub-Saharan countries where migrants originate, calling on the bloc to make a “long-term investment” in Africa.

Also yesterday, leaders of the European Parliament’s three largest political blocs – the European People’s Party, the Socialists and Democrats and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats – issued a joint statement urging government heads to find solutions that take into account all the dimensions of the migration problem.

“We want a European solution to what we consider a European problem, involving all the Member States... all EU institutions and all EU instruments and agencies,” the statement said.

The 10-point plan

• Increase the resources of Frontex operations.

• Make a systematic effort to capture and destroy vessels used by smugglers.

• Gather information on smugglers’ operations, trace their funds and assist in investigations.

• EASO to deploy teams in Italy and Greece for joint processing of asylum applications.

• Member States to ensure fingerprinting of all migrants.

• Consider options for emergency relocation mechanism.

• An EU-wide voluntary pilot project on resettlement.

• Establish a new return programme for rapid return of irregular migrants from frontline member states coordinated by Frontex.

• Engagement with countries surrounding Libya; initiatives in Niger to be stepped up.

• Deploy immigration liaison officers in key third countries to gather intelligence on migratory flows and strengthen the role of EU delegations.